Theresa May tells MPs she’s still seeking backstop changes

LONDON — Theresa May is still seeking "legally binding changes" to the Irish backstop and these "can be achieved by reopening the Withdrawal Agreement," she told MPs.

Despite the EU's firm rejection of any changes to the legally binding draft agreement, as communicated to May during meetings in Brussels last week, the U.K. prime minister said talks are "at a crucial stage."

In a House of Commons statement that divulged no new information about her plan for avoiding a no-deal Brexit, May said she would press on with her plan to secure changes to the backstop, a legal guarantee for avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.

However, she did not repeat her assertion of two weeks ago that legal changes to the backstop “will involve reopening the Withdrawal Agreement.” Instead May only said this was the “obvious way” to secure them, while her spokesman said it is “likely” that reopening the text would be required. The shift in language came after Leader of the House of Commons and committed Brexiteer Andrea Leadsom told BBC Radio 4 that the government need not be “purist” about how it secures the changes it is seeking on the backstop.

The incremental shift in position, however, will do little to renew confidence among the U.K.’s increasingly agitated business community that May will soon name a date for a second attempt at ratifying her Brexit deal. MPs will have an opportunity to add amendments to a government motion on Brexit this week, with votes on Thursday.

This had been seen as an opportunity for the House of Commons to force the government’s hand by making time for legislation that could delay Brexit. However, May has pledged a fresh Brexit motion — allowing another round of amendments — on February 27; a move which has taken the heat out of Thursday’s parliamentary encounter, with many MPs expected to hold back amendments until the end of the month.

In the meantime, May will continue to pursue changes to her deal that could secure a majority in the House of Commons, delaying a point of decision despite warnings from business that uncertainty and the cost of no-deal planning are beginning to weigh heavily.

“She understands absolutely the need for certainty. She had wanted to have secured a deal already but that hasn’t been possible because parliament hasn’t voted for it,” May’s spokesman said.

May also discussed strengthening employment and environmental rights in the U.K. to keep pace with and even exceed those introduced by the EU, and pledged that parliament would have a greater say in the negotiations on the future relationship with the bloc.

Members of the House of Commons Brexit committee have been contacted by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay for their views on this, she said.

May also revealed that, should a Brexit deal not be passed in time to meet a legal requirement for 21 days’ parliamentary scrutiny of international treaties (enshrined in the Constitutional Reform and Governance [CRAG] Act), the government intends to legislate — in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill that must follow a vote in favor of May’s deal — to ensure that in this instance the CRAG rules do not apply.

Urging MPs to get behind her deal, May said that "opposing no-deal is not enough to stop it." She confirmed that MPs would hold non-binding votes on Thursday on any amendments to a government Brexit motion, and have another opportunity to do so on February 27 if she has not put forward a revised Brexit deal for a meaningful vote by that date.

The prime minister repeated her rejection of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's proposal for a permanent customs union with the EU, as a quid pro quo for his party's support of her deal.

Responding, Corbyn accused May of "playing for time."

"She's ... playing with people's jobs, our economic security, and the future of our industry," he said.